The Metropolitan
Wednesday, 12 July 2006 15:02
His Eminence, Metropolitan Pavlos of the Genuine Greek Orthodox Church of North & South America, (in the world, Peter Stratigeas) was born on Sept. 26, 1955 in Astoria, N.Y. His parents Panagiotis and Maria were devout people with great faith in God and deep spirituality. From his youth he lived in the bosom of the Church, where he was raised in Christian piety by his uncle, Bishop Petros of Astoria, who baptized him in 1956 in the newly-founded church of Saint Markella. His spiritual father was his other uncle, Archmandrite Niphon (Astyfides).
He completed elementary school in New York, after which he moved to Greece to study at the American Community School in Chalandri. In 1974 he entered the Theological School of the University of Athens, from which he graduated in 1978. On November 17, 1978 he joined the monastic brotherhood of St. Markella, and on Pentecost of 1979 he was tonsured a monk by Bishop Petros, who gave him the name Pavlos. A year later, on Pentecost 1980, he was ordained deacon, and in 1985, also on Pentecost, he was ordained priest and elevated to he rank of Archimandrite. He took active part in the teaching ministry at St. Markella's and participated in the pastoral work of the Diocese of Astoria.
In 1981, with the blessing of Bishop Petros, he began giving theological lectures every Monday night after Vespers, which have continued uninterrupted to this day. For many years he was a preacher for the Diocese of Astoria, and for twelve years he had a weekly television program that reached the Greeks of the diaspora in America.
On Feb. 6, 1998 he was elected Metropolitan of the Metropolis of the G.O.C. of North & South America by the Holy Synod in Greece under the presidency of His Beatitude, Chrysostomos II of Athens and All Greece. He was ordained in Greece on Feb. 13 by His Beatitude.
In 1999 he founded the Monastery of the Holy Ascension in Bearsville, N.Y.
On Sept. 15, 2000 at his request, the Holy Synod unanimously elected Archimandrite Christodulos as Bishop of Theoupolis to serve as vicar bishop of the diocese of North & South America. His Grace was consecrated on Sept. 20, 2000 by Metropolitan Pavlos in St. Menas Monastery in Attica, Greece.
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Orthodox Awareness
In 1924, the Church of Greece ushered in the pan-heresy of Ecumenism in a form tangible to every believer—by changing the Church's traditional Julian calendar. It adopted the papal Gregorian calendar, thereby evincing a desire to concelebrate, not with the Church Triumphant in heaven, but rather with the heretics of the fallen West.
Missions
Maria never thought she would start a Church. However, God creates circumstances which cause people to do things they never planned to do. She had family members that were Old Calendarists and she had even attended services at St. Markella’s Cathedral many years ago. But that all became a memory, as life’s changes brought her to her own marriage, raising children, and living in diverse locations.Charlottesville, Virginia became her and her husband's home a few years ago. They settled in to the comfortable routine of worshiping in the local New Calendar parish.
Ask a Priest
Q. Can you please explain the significance of the forty day memorial service? An Evangelical family asked one of our relatives that question. We said that it’s best to ask a clergy member. Thank you in advance for your response. (We will forward it to them as soon as possible).
-P. & M. G.